Realm's Secrets│ The Equilibrium࿐

Chapter VIII • A Sweet Nightmare

"The Royal Garden is hidden discreetly along the stream behind the palace. It is brimming with unusual, gorgeous flowers that are in bloom. Some are used for healing, while others are used for decoration. Each flower has a legend about the person who first held it. The vibrant flowers conceal a bleak tale. They claim that placing the flower in the stream and letting the water tell the tale is the only way to learn the history behind it. I once placed a flower in the stream and it showed me the Tale of Ciara, the powerful sorcerer. She has the ability to read your future like a book. She gives off the impression of being a fortune teller, but she is more. She can communicate with the spirits nearby. Her abilities, nevertheless, abruptly shifted and were tainted by evil. She was unable to restrain herself. It appears as though she was under control. She was hardly the only person to go through this unwelcome transformation. She eventually perished as a result of her inability to control herself. That is why, Werqons is a threat to all Realms.", Allura said while looking up at the starry sky.

"Will we ever have the power to fight them?", Fiona asked. For three years, she's been studying them.

"As of now, they don't have any weaknesses, and they feast on people after they control them like a string puppet", Ethan said in a worried statement. "They may be strong, but as I observed, they cannot control anyone if their eyes are covered", he added.

"Before I forget, I'll be assigning you two to find the Granddaughter of this inmate", Allura said while handing over the papers full of information about the Old man in prison and his family members.

Ethan took the paper and analyzed the information. Fiona peeked at the paper to see the information. "I have heard about what happened in the dungeon", Ethan brought the topic back to what happened in the dungeon, and Allura was not in the right mood to talk about it.

"I don't want to talk about it again. However, it is clear that I have to sentence him to 20 years of labor", Allura said in a serious tone.

"How is the old man? Is he doing alright?", Fiona asked worriedly.

"He is alright; he needs to take more rest. After what happened, I realized I have to be more cautious and observant of the people with positions here in this Kingdom. We never know who is the real...", Allura stopped after remembering what the Knight General said to her.

"Traitor."

Ethan and Fiona looked at each other after feeling the change in her mood. They stared at each other as if they were having a conversation, looking into each other's eyes. But seconds later, Ethan looked away. Fiona came closer to Allura and patted her on the shoulders.

"Take some rest; tomorrow will be your hearing for the case you've been studying for quite a while", Fiona said, smiling at her.

Allura smiled and held Fiona's hand. "Alright, I'll take a rest now".

Allura left and used the hidden passage to secretly enter the palace without anyone knowing, leaving Fiona and Ethan in the garden.

"We'll have to investigate this man's profile and search for his granddaughter, located in the hidden part of the kingdom,", Ethan said with determination.

Fiona looked at the papers and said, "It says here that his house is located in the Eastern part of the Kingdom, which is-". Fiona paused for a moment and gulped.

"Religian Forest"

The Religian Forest is a forest of buried thoughts. Due to several reports of individuals going missing, this forest is beyond its limits, but some people still call it home. They think there are people in the forest who simply couldn't go. Although you can enter the forest, your own thoughts will keep you there. Some people claim that your delusions will become reality. However, whatever you think of can be the reason for your own death.